Balk Rd. / Fawn River

County: St. Joseph

City/Township: Sturgis Twp.

Location: Balk Rd. / Fawn River

Year Built: 1910

About this Bridge:
With a main span of 84 feet, this bridge is among the longest of the known surviving Pratt pony trusses built in Michigan after 1900, since only ten percent of them exceed eighty feet. Other features include: upper chord: back-to-back channels with V-lacing and a cover plate; lower chord: paired flat bars; verticals: two pairs of back-to-back angles with V-lacing between; diagonals, outer panels: paired flat bars; diagonals, middle panel: paired rods with turnbuckles, crossed in center; railing: two angle section with lattice work; bottom laterals: crossed rods; floor beams: I-beams bolted to superstructure.